Tuesday, February 19, 2008

CACAO BAR

If you walk down any rue in Paris hot chocolate practically falls on your head or you'll trip over tins of it. But here in New York ya gotta search for GOOD HOT CHOCOLATE! Not the stuff that's all sugary and comes in packets called Swiss Miss by the way...Ahem I go down to 484 Broom street in Soho to get my supply from Marie Belle.She has chocolate bonbons in beautiful boxes but it's the hot chockie I come for...More pretty boxes...There's even a delightful CACAO BAR where you can relax over your freshly brewed cuppa...But I came to get my "Dark" and off I go... I will take a cup next visit I promise so I can report back to you. It does look very sweet.Marie Belle sells real French chocolatiers tooAnd even silvery ones...

Pre-Valentines, Marie Belle's windows were full of this lovely hodge-podge of boxes...

And more boxes...

And chandleliers and crystals and...

Other flea market treasures...

FABULOUS non?!

I'm big on the "Dark" though there is Aztec and a multitude of other flavors at Marie Belle - this one is in chips of chocolate and I've even seen it in shops in FRANCE!!! Wooee

Hmmm...I'm much better at drawing bears and chocolates than I am at drawing arrows, so please excuse, but here is our morning brew. I add Marie Belle to a scoop of Les Confitures a l'Ancienne (from France) and if I can find it some really good cacao powder from Michel Cluizel or La Maison du Chocolat if I'm feeling flush.. Oh and a cup of hot milk!

Love the blues and brown tins and the crystal & candles & Silver all together. Pretty as well as a yummmy post this morning. Guess I will go have my 'weak. tea now & pretend it is yummy dark rich hot chocolate. :)

Lucky Little Bear- you must be SHARING your chocolate. How else could he have developed that taste? I am a fan of the Aztec, but my most favorite is the Dark Chocolate. I am surprised that Marie Belle is actually served in France. Thought it might be like Hagen Dazs Ice Cream - foreign name for a domestic product! Starbucks did a decent hot chocolate (they called it Drinking chocolate) 2 years ago, but apparently, the American coffee drinkers weren't biting. It's been diconstinued. But, lucky me! We have a local chocolatier who serves drinking chocolate to die for!!! Made from chunks of chocolate just like Marie Belle. And the store is an architectural gem! Don't get there nearly enough.You will be foregiven for your sports commentator arrows. Just paint more!

MERCI JEANETTE! for your sports commentator comment!Who knew?Little Bear has had an adjustment because South jersey Boy said the petit four was leaning over like the Tower of Pisa...I hope it looks better now SJB!HMPHSome people can not leave well enough alone!

OK; my comments.Kevin MacPherson describes a nice concept in his latest book on painting.Consider doing a painting where all the detail (to whatever degree ) is just in the shade and shadow areas, leaving the lights simply stated.Then, do a painting reversing that idea, with all the shadows kept simple, and whatever detail that exists, it's in the lights.In looking at that painting, perhaps the shade side of that piece of cake, on the right, could have just been mostly depicted with one of your juicy, Dewey-like gutsy washes, and the merest hint of linear texture, implied.You did kinda' put "texture" everywhere, don' ya' think?That's the comment for the day from this Dummy.Love ya'...and yer art.

Wooow Carol!You give me too much credit!(but I'll take it) I just figured your petit was leaning just a bit four a reason. I was imagining Little Bear, in the middle of the night, sneaking around behind to climb into the roomy hole he'd nibbled out, just so he could be snug, until morning...and more hot chocolate.

So, I was thinking about buying some re-ment from NRFB Queen and guess who was mentioned on her website...YOU! She had a link to your parisbreakfast.com site. Very nice! Are you in New York City? If so, I am going to be super jealous. I HEART NYC!